A Hofstra student's rape claim was recanted, Nassau District Attorney Kathleen Rice said Wednesday night. From left, Jesus Ortiz, Kevin Taveras, Stalin Felipe and Rondell Bedward give a thumbs-up after being released from a Nassau jail and cleared of charges. (Sept. 16, 2009) Photo Credit: James Carbone

A Hofstra student's rape claim was recanted, Nassau District Attorney Kathleen Rice said Wednesday night. From left, Jesus Ortiz, Kevin Taveras, Stalin Felipe and Rondell Bedward give a thumbs-up after being released from a Nassau jail and cleared of charges. (Sept. 16, 2009) (Credit: James Carbone)

Suddenly they were free. And at first, they couldn't believe their reversal of fortune.

Two of the men who were falsely accused of raping a woman in a Hofstra University dorm spoke out Wednesday night to describe the shock of freedom - and the relief of exoneration - after the woman admitted to prosecutors that she had lied about being tied up and gang-raped by five men in a campus dorm bathroom.

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Suddenly they were free. And at first, they couldn't believe their reversal of fortune.

Two of the men who were falsely accused of raping a woman in a Hofstra University dorm spoke out Wednesday night to describe the shock of freedom - and the relief of exoneration - after the woman admitted to prosecutors that she had lied about being tied up and gang-raped by five men in a campus dorm bathroom.

At first, he couldn't believe that authorities accepted the truth of his innocence.

"There were three things coming out of this: One, her story, two, our story, and three, the truth. At the end of the day, the truth prevailed."

Now, Felipe says, he feels that his reputation was unjustly destroyed. "I feel like dirt was thrown on our names, and it was horrible. It ruined my life . . . I'm 19. I have my whole life in front of me, and suddenly it was all over. I was facing 5 to 25 years."

One of the correction officers told him that in 24 years working at the jail he'd never seen anything like the reversal of fortunes that freed the four accused men, Felipe said.

Also freed Wednesday night were Jesus L. Ortiz, 19, and Rondell Bedward, 21, both of the Bronx. Bedward, a Hofstra student, had signed in the other three men - his friends - as weekend campus guests. The woman had also accused a fifth man of rape, but only four were identified and arrested after the Sunday morning accusation.

Felipe, of the Bronx, said his lawyer advised him not to speak about what happened the night before his Sunday morning arrest, a sequence of events that began when he attended a fraternity party.

Taveras, of Brentwood, was also reticent about the events of that night, saying only that he hadn't known the accuser until they met at the on-campus dance party after "a friend invited us. It was the wrong place at the wrong time."

Taveras said Wednesday night he hoped people would now accept the fact that the accused foursome were not predators.

"Maybe with all the news out tomorrow, people will see we're not rapers," Taveras said, adding that he was concerned about whether he'd been fired from his job.

Taveras has worked for Cablevision's information technology department since 2007, his lawyer said. Cablevision is Newsday's parent company.

"I'm going to try to get my job back. HR called me and left me a message, but I never got it because I was locked up," he said.

Taveras, like Felipe, was in disbelief when a guard told him Wednesday night that he was free, because his bail had been set at $500,000. He recalled saying, skeptically, to the guard, " 'We're free? We're not going to make $500,000 bail.' And the CO said, 'No, you're free.' "

Despite having had his life disrupted by the woman's accusation, Taveras said he does not feel vengeful toward her. "Honestly, I was very scared. I don't know why she did what she did. I hope she doesn't go through what we went through."